Sacrifices
by Kitsanken
Summary: Vash has spent nearly his entire existence sacrificing for his beliefs... Warning: Character Death


Trigun Fanfic  
  
Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow * Shonen Gaho-sha * Tokuma Shoten * JVC * Pioneer  
Entertainment (USA) Inc.  
  
The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication  
or sale.  
  
Sacrifices  
By Chiruken  
  
One-Shot  
  
**~**  
  
"Stop it! Don't hurt him anymore, I'm begging you, leave him be!" Meryl fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands as her tears streamed unchecked down her pale cheeks, painful sobs wracking her slender frame as her lips moved in formless pleas.  
  
Knives glared down at the pitiful human kneeling before him begging for his brother's life with tearful pleas. "And why should I?" He smirked, knowing that nothing she could ever say would sway him from a chosen path. He had no intention of actually killing his twin, merely teach him a lesson he wouldn't ever forget.  
  
"It's wrong..." She whispered hoarsely. "He's your brother, you shouldn't hurt your own brother."  
  
"He had it coming, interfering in my plans, siding with you filthy humans over me, his own flesh and blood." A sly look entered his expression, narrowing his icy blue eyes to maleovant slits. "Unless, of course, you wish to take his place? Hmm? What do you say, little spider? Want to take his place?" He leaned forward, smirking at her expression of horror. "I didn't think so."  
  
"No, wait!" Meryl stood, willing her shaking legs to support her weight, and held her hand out to Knives. "I-I'll do it. Only...only you have to promise to not hurt Vash any more!"  
  
Knives couldn't quite hide his surprise. "You'd do that? What could you possibly gain by doing something like that?" His eyes narrowed further. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"  
  
She shook her head, wiping her face on the sleeve of her cloak. "No trick. An honest trade straight up. Me for him. Do we have a deal?"  
  
Vash moaned softly, consciousness slowly returning to him. He forced his eyes to open and focus on his surroundings. Green eyes widening in growing horror he choked. "M-Meryl!" Her name emerged on a hoarse whisper filled with fear. The young woman stood before his brother with a look of defiance etched into her pretty features, tears glistening on her cheeks as she confronted Knives. "No..." He struggled against his bonds to no avail. He willed his voice to work properly, to stop his twin from hurting someone else, someone he cared for deeply.  
  
"Very well. I think I might enjoy this even more." Knives smirked and lifted his hand, a black ball of pure energy forming. "Hmm...kill you outright or have some fun first. Choices, choices..." He chuckled and took a step towards the small woman.  
  
Meryl closed her eyes, unable to watch as he approached her with that terrifying ball glowing in the palm of his hand. She didn't begin to understand what it was, but instinctively she knew to be afraid, very afraid. Pressing her lips together tightly, she fought to hold in a whimper of terror as she laced her fingers together tight enough her knuckles turned white.  
  
Vash shook his head and fought against the chains holding him back desperately. "No!" Knives paused in his advance to glance over at him. "Don't do it! Don't do it, Knives! Don't hurt her!"  
  
Meryl's eyes snapped open at the sound of Vash's voice. "Vash?" She whispered his name and tried to summon a smile for him through her tears. She'd never told him how she felt and now she found that the words were once again sticking in her throat.  
  
"Please don't do it, Knives!" He ignored the sharp stinging pain in his right arm as the manacle cut into his flesh and redoubled his efforts to free himself. He didn't know why his attention had diverted to Meryl, but Knives seemed to be enjoying the situation if his smirk was any indication.  
  
"Why shouldn't I? This is what she wants, just ask her yourself."  
  
"I-it's all right, Vash...don't worry." She couldn't meet his startled gaze nor the questions reflected within and turned her face away, closing her eyes.  
  
"See? I told you. She practically begged me for it, you know. What could I do but give her what she so desperately wants?" Lifting his arm he laughed, feeding more of his power into the destructive ball resting on his upturned palm. "One less spider to ruin our Eden, dear brother!"  
  
"No!" Throwing his weight forward against the chains he screamed in pain, his bloody wrist wrenching free of the manacle holding him firmly in place. Twisting, he used his current leverage to snap the stretched link of the chain binding his left arm, the one containing the concealed gun. Using his momentum, he desperately launched himself forward, tackling his brother to the ground and pinning his arms. "I won't let you hurt her, Knives!" Looking up he focused his gaze on the young woman watching with wide-eyed shock. "Run! Run, Meryl!" He commanded, silently praying she would obey him without question just this once.  
  
It took one look at the grim determination in his green eyes for Meryl to know that he was about to do something he would never forgive himself for later. "Don't do it, Vash..." She whispered softly as she shook her head. True, Knives would deserve everything he got and then some, but she couldn't let Vash kill him. It would be wrong. Closing the distance quickly, she knelt beside him and laid her hand on his arm, her heart aching for him and the choice he felt he had to make. "Don't kill him, Vash. It would be wrong."  
  
"Damnit, Meryl...why don't you ever listen?" Shifting his grip on his brother's arms, he exerted more pressure to hold him in place. "I have to do this...can't you see? I can't let him hurt anyone ever again."  
  
"It shouldn't be up to you!" She cried, feeling the sting of tears blurring her vision at the sorrow reflected in his gaze.  
  
"He's my brother...my responsibility. No one else can stop him." He offered her a sad smile. "Please, just go. It'll be okay, I promise."  
  
Biting her lip she shook her head again. "I can't stop you, I know that, but...but..." Leaning forward, she pressed her trembling lips against his in a brief caress. "Come back to me, Vash. I'll be waiting." Standing quickly, she turned and fled, unable to bear the thought of her gentle Vash taking on the burden of yet another death.  
  
"Goodbye...Meryl..." He whispered and closed his eyes, concentrating all his will on the energy pulsating within his body, focusing it on one objective. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on his brother's shoulder, tears slowling falling as he felt the familiar warmth stinging his flesh, the bluish white glow flicker, flashing across his face.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, Vash?!" Knives struggled desperately against his brother's firm grip, eyes widening in horror as he watched the Angel Arm transforming and gathering power. "Are you insane?!"  
  
"Maybe..." He answered softly. "It's time to stop, Knives. It's time to end this once and for all. No more killing, no more pain. I won't let you hurt anyone else ever again."  
  
Barely his teeth in a fierce snarl he tried unsuccessfully to dislodge Vash's weight from his back, frantically twisting in an effort to get away from the terrible light surrounding them. "You'll die too!"  
  
"I know. I have no regrets..." He paused and smiled a little. "Well, maybe one, but that can't be avoided now, can it?"  
  
Meryl ran, her lungs burning for much needed air, vision blurred by the steady stream of tears falling unchecked down her pale cheeks. Suddenly the night was lit with a terrifying white light and she stumbled, falling to her hands and knees. Looking over her shoulder, back the way she'd come, she screamed. "Vash!" A column of light reached for the stars, much like the brilliance she'd seen the day August City had been destroyed, only this time there would be casualties. Vash and Knives... "No..." Falling forward she covered her face with her hands and wept, knowing that she'd never have the chance to tell him how she felt now. He'd sacrificed everything for the continuation of the human race...his happiness, his life. It was a bitter consolation to know that humanity no longer had anything to fear from Knives and his insanity. Without Vash, she felt as if the world had lost all meaning for her. She finally truly understood how Millie had felt when Wolfwood had died, only worse because she'd have to live with the knowledge that she'd never shared the depth of her feelings with the man she loved.  
  
~~Owari~~ 


End file.
